Monday, January 13, 2014

Hi there! I have another page to share about the 'stuff' I am trying to PURGE from my life. This time it's tons of music CD's, many we haven't listened to in quite some time. Think it's time to PURGE them? I think so!

I created a list for my page - Life without music would be________

quiet

boring

depressing

sad

empty

lifeless

all of the above

and I added a quote from Hans Christian Andersen on the bottom

"Where words fail, music speaks" that I absolutely love!

I am so excited that I found the perfect symbol for my 'one little word' today while searching on Google! There were so many it was hard to choose the one I liked best but I decided to go with the recycle symbol since it represents CLEANSING, getting RID of impurities and starting FRESH. That's exactly what I want to accomplish with my 'one little word' this year. I added the word PURGE inside the recycle circle before printing it and love how it looks.

I also found a necklace on Etsy at PureImpressions in the shape of the recycle symbol and I can't wait to get it! It's absolutely gorgeous, don't you think? I'll share the real deal when it arrives! ;)

Friday, January 10, 2014

Here's the opening page for my One Little Word album that I am putting together. I had already had this page ready to go but was waiting for my album and page protectors to arrive from scrapbook.com before sharing anything with you. I am happy so far with how it's coming together.

Let me just tell you something about myself - I am not always a serious scrapbooker, meaning that I like to be silly sometimes especially when it comes to pages about myself. Plus I take photos of ANYTHING and believe me, I mean ANYTHING as you will see if you follow me for the next year.

One of the reasons I do is because it's just my husband and I now around here - kids have grown and left us, no pets anymore, no grandkids within 100 miles of us (which sometimes can actually be a good thing!) - just the two of us and we don't lead a real exciting life but we like it that way! So some of my scrapbook pages will be silly stuff and may even be a bit repetitive so if I bore you, I truly am sorry.

Here's my quote page and my explanation for why I chose the word - PURGE. I'll share the quote with you but not why I chose it just because my hand is already hurting from typing. :( The right page is my response to four different questions posed by Ali Edwards specifically for this workshop.

"Sometimes you've got to let everything go - PURGE yourself. If you are unhappy with anything....whatever is bringing you down, get RID of it! Because you'll find that when you're FREE, your true creativity, your true SELF comes out!

~Tina Turner

The left page here shows my intentions of how I will explore different ways or actions to invite my word into my life. The right page is a copy of my very first blog post about One Little Word that I shared with you yesterday.

Here's a page about one of the first things I PURGED since beginning this endeavor - my sneakers! See, didn't I tell you I'm silly sometimes? How many people do you know who create scrapbook pages about sneakers? :)

Well, in the words of Ali Edwards herself, PURGE means keeping what is important and letting go of the rest so I have decided that for every one new thing I get, I will RID myself of one thing I no longer use/want/need. And that idea is thanks to someone in the One Little Word 2014 Facebook group. Thank you, Debra Carr!

So let's see what four old things I can PURGE from my stash now that I received four new things today. Or can I just say the three packs of page protectors are one item so then I only have to PURGE two things? Hmmm, this could be tougher than I think! Wish me luck!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

1. A scrapbook layout created for a Big Picture Classes class that I am taking this year - Inspired Scrapbooking - hosted by the awesomely talented Stacy Julian. I'm not totally thrilled with the layout - my creative mojo is lacking these past couple weeks after the passing of my dad the day after Christmas and understandably so - but it'll do and I'll move on to the next one. Stay tuned each month for more inspiredscrapbooking creations!

2. What a gorgeous sunny sky but very cold, snowy, bitter morning as we headed out to Lancaster County for breakfast and food shopping. Many winter Saturday mornings are spent this way and we truly enjoy them!

3. I finished my December Daily 2013 album by removing it from the display stand it was attached to and tying some ribbon through the holes. That way I can reuse the stand for another project. Love that idea!

4. The cover page of my 2014 Project Life album has taken shape. The very end of 2013 was so difficult and it is really making it hard to move into 2014 in a positive way but I am trying. Not only am I taking a class from BPC this year, I am also participating in Ali Edwards' 'One Little Word' workshop this year as well. Hopefully, between the two of these endeavors, I will remain optimistic about a brand new year. Wish me luck!

On a different subject....I am excited about the new 'Picture My Life' products that will be available soon from Close To My Heart. They are along the lines of the Becky Higgins version of Project Life and I can't wait to get some into my hot little hands! I love the quality and variety of products from CTMH so these should be just as awesome. I hope to share some of these new products with you very soon so be sure to check back in a few days.

Thanks for stopping by today! Make it a good one and stay warm, wherever you may be!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

I have decided to participate in this year's 'One Little Word' hosted by Ali Edwards. I have been wanting to undertake this project for a couple of years now and just decided yesterday to jump right in. I recently released or purged myself from a couple obligations so I am going to make time for this project and do the best I can to follow through the entire year. I know life will get in the way at times, as it should, but I will give it my all and see how it goes. If you would like to join in, it's not too late since today is the beginning of a new year and another year of 'One Little Word'.

I have chosen the word purge for several different reasons and although it can be a violent word, I will not use it in that sense. After you read the definition of purge below, I think you'll see just how it can take on many meanings that pertain to everyday life and are non-violent. After a lot of thought, this is the word I have chosen and I believe it will fit me well this year. Here is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of purge:

1purge

verb\ˈpərj\

: to remove people from an area, country, organization, etc., often in a violent and sudden way

: to cause something to leave the body

purgedpurg·ing

Full Definition of PURGE

transitive verb

1

a: to clear of guilt

b: to free from moral or ceremonial defilement

2

a: to cause evacuation from (as the bowels)

b (1): to make free of something unwanted <purge a manhole of gas><purge yourself of fear>(2): to free (as a boiler) of sediment or relieve (as a steam pipe) of trapped air by bleeding

c (1): to rid (as a nation or party) by a purge (2): to get rid of <the leaders had been purged>

Plan to follow me as I embark on this new adventure, if you wish. I hope to post at least once a month about my 'one little word'. Come back soon for my first post. Happy New Year! I hope you have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2014. Thanks for stopping by today!~Carol

About Me

First and foremost I am a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother and a grandmother of six precious littles. They are my inspiration for this wonderful hobby of memory keeping and with the help of Close To My Heart, who I have been a consultant with for going on 10 years, I have created many beautiful scrapbook albums for my family to enjoy for many years to come! I can show YOU how to preserve your family memories through the art of scrapbooking and stamping, too. Contact me for more information about the wonderful products that Close to my Heart has to offer.